2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 Capacity

366 OperationTires and wheelsGVW (G
ross V
ehicle W
eight)
The GVW comprises the weight of the
vehicle including fuel, tools, spare wheel,
installed accessories, passengers and
cargo and, if applicable, trailer tongue
load. The GWV must never exceed the
GWVR indicated on the certification label
located on the driver’s door B-pillar.
GVWR (G
ross V
ehicle W
eight R
ating)
This is the maximum permissible vehicle
weight of the fully loaded vehicle (weight of
the vehicle including all options, passen-
gers, fuel, and cargo and, if applicable,
trailer tongue load). It is indicated on
certification label located on the driver’s
door B-pillar.
Kilopascal (kPa)
The metric unit for air pressure. There are
6.9 kPa to 1 psi; another metric unit for air
pressure is bars. There are 100 kilopascals
(kPa) to 1 bar.Maximum load rating
The maximum load in kilograms and
pounds that can be carried by the tire.
Maximum loaded vehicle weight
The sum of curb weight, accessory weight,
vehicle capacity weight and production
options weight.
Maximum tire inflation pressure
This number is the greatest amount of air
pressure that should ever be put in the tire
under normal driving conditions.
Normal occupant weight
The number of occupants the vehicle is
designed to seat, multiplied by
68 kilograms (150 lbs).
Occupant distribution
The distribution of occupants in a vehicle
at their designated seating positions.Production options weight
The combined weight of those installed
regular production options weighing over
5 lbs (2.3 kilograms) in excess of those
standard items which they replace, not
previously considered in curb weight or
accessory weight, including heavy duty
brakes, ride levelers, roof rack, heavy duty
battery, and special trim.
PSI (P
ounds per s
quare i
nch)
A standard unit of measure for air pressure
-> bar, kilopascal (kPa).
Recommended tire inflation pressure
Recommended tire inflation pressure
listed on placard located on driver’s door
B-pillar for normal driving conditions.
Provides best handling, tread life and
riding comfort.

367 Operation
Tires and wheels
Rim
A metal support for a tire or a tire and tube
assembly upon which the tire beads are
seated.
Sidewall
The portion of a tire between the tread and
the bead.
TIN (T
ire I
dentification N
umber)
Unique identifier which facilitates efforts
by tire manufacturers to notify purchasers
in recall situations or other safety matters
concerning tires and gives purchases the
means to easily identify such tires. The TIN
is comprised of “Manufacturer’s identifica-
tion mark”, “Tire size”, “Tire type code”
and “Date of manufacture”.
Tire load rating
Numerical code associated with the
maximum load a tire can support.Tire ply composition and material used
This indicates the number of plies or the
number of layers of rubber-coated fabric in
the tire tread and sidewall. Tire manufac-
turers also must indicate the ply materials
in the tire and sidewall, which include
steel, nylon, polyester, and others.
Tire speed rating
Part of tire designation; indicates the
speed range for which a tire is approved.
Traction
Force exerted by the vehicle on the road
via the tires. The amount of grip provided.
Tread
The portion of a tire that comes into
contact with the road.Treadwear indicators
Narrow bands, sometimes called
“wear bars” that show across the tread of
a tire when only
1/16
in (1.6 mm) of tread
remains.
TWR (T
ongue W
eight R
ating)
Maximum permissible weight on trailer
tongue.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
A tire information system that provides
consumers with ratings for a tire’s traction,
temperature and treadwear. Ratings are
determined by tire manufacturers using
government testing procedures. The
ratings are molded into the sidewall of the
tire.
Vehicle capacity weight
Rated cargo and luggage load plus
68 kilograms (150 lbs) times the vehicle’s
designated seating capacity.

369 Operation
Winter driving
Winter driving
Before the onset of winter, have your
vehicle winterized at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center. This
service includes:

Check of anticorrosion and antifreeze
concentration.


Addition of cleaning concentrate to the
water of the windshield and headlamp
cleaning system. Add MB Concentrate
“S” to a premixed windshield washer
solvent/antifreeze which is formulated
for below freezing temperatures
(page 500).


Battery test. Battery capacity drops
with decreasing ambient temperature.
A well charged battery helps to make
sure that the engine can be started
even at low ambient temperatures.


Tire change. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends M+S rated radial-ply tires with a
minimum tread depth of approximately 1/6in (4 mm) on all four wheels for the
winter season.
Winter tires
Always use winter tires at temperatures
below 45°F (7°C) and whenever wintry
road conditions prevail. Not all M+S rated
tires provide special winter performance.
Make sure the tires you use show the
mountain/snowflake.marking on the
tire sidewall. These tires meet specific
snow traction performance requirements
of the Rubber Manufacturers Association
(RMA) and The Rubber Association of Can-
ada (RAC) and have been designed specif-
ically for use in snow conditions. Use of
winter tires is the only way to achieve the
maximum effectiveness of the ABS, ESP
®
and SBC in winter operation.
For safe handling, make sure all mounted
winter tires are of the same make and have
the same tread design.Always observe the speed rating of the
winter tires installed on your vehicle. If the
maximum speed for which your tires are
rated is below the speed rating of your
vehicle, you must place a notice to this
effect where it will be seen by the driver.
Such notices are available from your tire
dealer or from any authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Warning!
G
Winter tires with a tread depth under
1/6in
(4 mm) must be replaced. They are no long-
er suitable for winter operation.

427 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
t
Call failed
This message may appear if a phone con-
nection cannot be established.
&
Tailgate
open
This message will appear whenever the
tailgate is open.

Close the tailgate (
page 120).
W
Washer fluid
Check level
The fluid level has dropped to about
1/3
of total reservoir capacity.
Add washer fluid (
page 333).

431 Practical hints
Where will I find ...?
Trunk area shown with spare wheel
removed1Wheel bolt wrench with screwdriver
2Vehicle jack
3Collapsible wheel chock
4Spare fuses, fuse chart, fuse extractor
5Towing eye bolt
6Alignment bolt
7Wheel bolts for 17" light alloy rims or
Minispare wheel1Wheel bolt wrench
2Screwdriver
3Interchangeable slot
Screwdriver2 is placed inside the handle
of wheelbolt wrench1.Vehicle jack
iVehicles with scissors-type jack see
separate instructions.
!To prevent damage, always disengage
the elastic strap and lower the cargo
compartment floor (
page 430) be-
fore closing the tailgate.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into both sides of the vehicle. To help
avoid personal injury, use the jack only to lift
the vehicle during a wheel change. Never
get beneath the vehicle while it is supported
by the jack. Keep hands and feet away from
the area under the lifted vehicle. Always
firmly set parking brake and block wheels
before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use, es-
pecially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface.
Make sure that the jack arm is fully seated
in the jack take-up bracket. Always lower
the vehicle onto sufficient capacity jack-
stands before working under the vehicle.

457 Practical hints
Flat tire
Mounting the spare wheel
Preparing the vehicle
Prepare the vehicle as described
(page 456).

Take the wheel wrench, the collapsible
wheel chock, and the vehicle jack out
of the cargo compartment
(page 430).

Take the Minispare wheel out of the
cargo compartment (
page 433).Lifting the vehicle

Prevent the vehicle from rolling away
by blocking wheels with wheel chocks
or other sizable objects.
A collapsible wheel chock is included
with the vehicle tool kit (
page 430).
For information on setting up the col-
lapsible wheel chock, see
(
page 432).
When changing wheel on a level surface:

Place one wheel chock in front of and
another sizeable object behind the
wheel that is diagonally opposite to the
wheel being changed.
Always try lifting the vehicle using the jack
on a level surface. However, should
circumstances require you to do so on a
hill, place the wheel chock and other size-
able object as follows:

Place the wheel chock and another
sizable object on the downhill side
blocking both wheels of the axle not
being worked on.
!Vehicles with factory-mounted
running-boards*:
Your vehicle is equipped with a scis-
sors-type jack (located under the cargo
compartment floor) designed for use
with factory-mounted running boards.
Only use this jack when jacking up ve-
hicles with factory-mounted running
boards as otherwise the vehicle’s
underbody can be damaged. See sepa-
rate instructions for scissors-type jack.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into both sides of the vehicle. To help
avoid personal injury, use the jack only to lift
the vehicle during a wheel change. Never
get beneath the vehicle while it is supported
by the jack. Keep hands and feet away from
the area under the lifted vehicle. Always
firmly set parking brake and block wheels
before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use, es-
pecially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Make sure that the jack
arm is fully seated in the jack take-up brack-
et. Always lower the vehicle onto sufficient
capacity jackstands before working under
the vehicle.

463 Practical hints
Battery
!
The battery is a valve-regulated lead
acid (VRLA) battery, also referred to as
“fleece” battery. Such batteries do not
require topping-up of the electrolyte
level. VRLA batteries therefore do not
have cell caps and the battery cover is
non-removable. Do not attempt to
open the battery as otherwise the bat-
tery will be damaged.
Even though VRLA batteries do not
require topping-up of the electrolyte
level and cannot be opened to check
the electrolyte level, the battery condi-
tion must be checked periodically by
performing a battery conductance test.
Refer to Maintenance Booklet for bat-
tery condition testing intervals.
As with any other battery, the battery
may discharge if the vehicle is not
operated for an extended period of
time. You can connect a battery
maintenance charge unit tested and
approved for use on your vehicle model
or disconnect the battery to prevent
battery discharge. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center for more information.
!The factory-equipped VRLA battery is
leak-proofed. Only use a battery as re-
placement that has the same security
features and is of identical size,
voltage, and capacity as the
factory-equipped battery.
The battery, the battery ventilation
tube (
page 468) and the vent plug
(
page 468) must always be securely
installed when the vehicle is in opera-
tion.
Warning!
G
Jump starting must only be done using the
jump-start contacts located in the engine
compartment (
page 470).

493 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Capacities
Vehicle components and their respective
lubricants must match.Therefore only use products tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz.Please refer to the Factory Approved
Service Products pamphlet, or inquire at
your Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine with oil filter
ML 350
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
Approved engine oils
ML 500
9.1 US qt (8.5 l)
Approved engine oils
Automatic transmission
9.6 US qt (9.0 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Fluid
Transfer case single speed
0.5 US qt (0.5 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Fluid
Front axle
1.2 US qt (1.1 l)
Hypoid gear oil
Rear axle
1.2 US qt (1.1 l)
Hypoid gear oil
Power steering
approx. 1.3 US qt (1.2 l)
MB Power Steering Fluid
Front wheel hubs
approx. 1.5 oz (43 g) each
High temperature roller bearing grease